Software for the Elementary Campuses
2006-07
Kidspiration
Both these software products provide an easy way to apply the proven principles of visual learning. Students build graphic organizers by combining pictures, text and spoken words to represent thoughts and information. Younger learners develop early literacy skills, and more advanced students improve comprehension skills and better organize ideas for writing. Research has proven that visual learning is one of the best methods of teaching valuable comprehension, thinking and writing skills. By combining the power of visual learning with speech support, Kidspiration and Inspiration leverage the strength of multiple learning styles to improve students' comprehension and retention. Using graphic organizers in Kidspiration and Inspiration supports many learning goals as defined by state standards across the
curriculum. Standards in many states specifically call for the use of graphic organizers to enhance learning and skill development. Research in educational and cognitive psychology has revealed that visual learning enhances understanding and retention through dual coding in both visual and verbal modes. Classroom use of visual learning techniques is expressed in the form of graphic organizers, the organization and structure of information represented in text-and-picture diagrams. The National Reading Panel (NRP) identified studies on graphic organizers that found:
· Improved memory of written material after using such methods
· General achievement gains when applied to content area reading
Kidspiration's interactive graphic organizing capabilities support research-based comprehension strategies identified by the NRP. Students can use Kidspiration to express their thoughts and represent what they have learned in multiple media—text, spoken words and pictures—which research indicates can lead to higher achievement. A review of scientifically based research developed by the Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education at AEL supports the use of graphic organizers, such as those created in Kidspiration and Inspiration, to provide short-term and long-term learning benefits:
· Increased comprehension
· Improved writing skills
· Superior retention
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